Hennepin Avenue headed out of downtown to reopen in time for rush hour

Rush-hour commuters will again be able to head out of Downtown on Hennepin Avenue, following a large water main break yesterday afternoon that led to the closure of two blocks of the street for about 24 hours. By 4 p.m. today, the northbound lanes of Hennepin Avenue will open to traffic. Southbound traffic coming into Downtown on the Hennepin Avenue Bridge will continue to be detoured to 1st Avenue after crossing the bridge, since the southbound lanes of Hennepin Avenue will remain closed from Washington Avenue to 1st Street.

The Hennepin Avenue Bridge was fully opened overnight, and West River Parkway underneath the bridge has also reopened to traffic. Once Hennepin Avenue is reopened by 4 p.m., all streets will be open in the area except for one block of 2nd Street North, from Hennepin Avenue to 1st Avenue North, and one block of westbound 1st Street South from Hennepin Avenue to Marquette Avenue (the eastbound lanes are open on that block.)

Meanwhile, City crews have been working around the clock to repair the 36-inch water transmission line that was struck and ruptured by a private contractor at a building site at Hennepin Avenue and 2nd Street. Currently, there are about six buildings along three blocks of 2nd Avenue North that are without water service.